Leader Spotlight: Barbara Anderson
Cassidy Cichowicz | February 5, 2026.
This special edition of Wild Gift’s Leader Spotlight is a meaningful one.
It features a conversation between me, Wild Gift's Executive Director, and one of Wild Gift’s longest-standing advocates: Barbara Anderson.
I spent a day with Barbara at her home in Oregon last spring. We shared lunch, took a beautiful hike along the river, and followed up with a phone call a few weeks later. Both conversations are reflected in what follows, as Barbara shares the role wilderness has played in her life and why she’s stayed involved with Wild Gift since the very beginning.
She helped shape the Fellowship into what it is today and has made a meaningful impact on the many Fellows she’s mentored. Community members like Barb are the reason Wild Gift has been able to support emerging leaders for over two decades.
We are excited to share some of her wisdom and reflections. Barb, we are grateful for you!
Barbara Anderson has been part of Wild Gift from the very beginning. She was on the original board, has mentored many Fellows, and remains one of our most dedicated advocates for wilderness-based leadership.
Barbara first met Bob Jonas when she and her late husband joined him on guided backpacking trips in Idaho, Yellowstone, and Alaska. Those adventures changed how she saw the world and shaped her thinking about leadership. Many have joked over the years that she was Wild Gift’s very first Fellow, and honestly, she kind of was.
Many of our longest supporters had an adventure or two with Bob before Wild Gift was even an idea. When I asked Barbara about his influence, a deep sense of respect crossed her face.
“Bob is a person that I have always been just blown away by. Not just the way he lives his life, but the way that he prioritizes connection to the natural world. He’s truly walked the walk… He was the first person who helped me understand that being a leader didn’t mean talking the most.”
“Bob listens deeply. And being around that changed how I showed up as a leader.”
Barbara told me that watching how Bob led in the backcountry helped her become more thoughtful in her corporate work too. Even after she retired, she said those lessons stayed with her.
When I asked why nature has played such a big role in her life, she said:
“Nature always brings me back to center. It’s where I do my best thinking.”
“Being unplugged, uncomfortable, surrounded by something bigger than yourself, it strips away all the noise.”
She shared a story from one of her early trips:
“We were walking in silence… and I suddenly had this moment of clarity about something I’d been stuck on for months. The wild doesn’t give you answers. It gives you the quiet you need to hear them.”
Barbara also talked about how Wild Gift has added meaning to her life over time:
“It has left me feeling very fulfilled. It has enriched my life. I wish anyone could have that richness of experience.”
One of the most rewarding parts of her involvement has been watching Fellows push past their own self-doubt. Whether climbing the steep scree of Silver Saddle or navigating a challenge in their venture, Barbara has witnessed firsthand how testing yourself in the wild builds resilience.
She told me about mentoring a Fellow who was doubting his path:
“[He] came to me and said, ‘I don’t know if I can do it, Barb.’ I remember asking, ‘What was the hardest part of the trek for you?’ And he said, ‘Going up such-and-such ridge.’ I asked, ‘Well, did you make it to the top?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘Well there you go. You’re going to make it!’”
She smiled as she told it, because she knows that feeling well. When reflecting on her own challenges, she shared:
“I think back on a big hike up a mountain and think this isn’t going to be easy, but I can do it. At some point, I have to turn off my mind and just keep going.”
“Sometimes life is not real pleasant… not really fun at all… but it will get better again. When I get to the top of the mountain, it will be beautiful again.”
When I asked her why she continues to stay connected after all these years, she didn’t hesitate:
“The people I’ve met through Wild Gift are doing work that matters. Being in that orbit is life-giving.”
“Because we need more leaders who know how to slow down, reflect, and then act with purpose. That’s what Wild Gift helps people do.”
Barbara reminded me that the roots of Wild Gift run deep, and the seeds we plant now continue to grow. Her belief in the power of nature, leadership, and community is exactly what we strive to pass on. I’m so grateful for our conversations and for the legacy Barbara continues to shape within Wild Gift. Thanks, Barb!
Left to right: Bob and Barbara in 2024, along the river near Barb’s home in Bend, OR. Barbara, Sarah Michael, Bob, and Fellows. Cassidy and Barb along the same river in 2025.
Thanks for reading the Leader Spotlight segment of the Wild Gift Blog! If you are a Wild Gift Alumni and want to be featured, please email jacinta@wildgift.org.